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Master (Buffyverse)
The Master is a fictional character on the action-horror/fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). He is a centuries-old vampire portrayed by Mark Metcalf, determined to open the portal to hell below Sunnydale High School in the fictional town of Sunnydale where the main character Buffy Summers lives. The premise of the series is that Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a Slayer, a teenage girl endowed with superhuman strength and other powers which she uses to kill vampires and other evil beings. Each season of the series Buffy and the small group of family and friends who work with her, nicknamed the Scooby Gang, must defeat an evil force referred to as the Big Bad; the villain is usually trying to bring on an apocalypse. The Master is the first season's Big Bad. The Master is the head of an ancient order of vampires, a classic Old World villain devoted to ritual and prophecy. He has been entombed beneath Sunnydale for 60 years as the patriarch of a cult posed opposite Buffy, a character who was created to subvert media tropes about frail women falling victim to evil characters. Her youth and insistence on asserting her free will makes her unique in the Master's experience, but he is devoted to fulfilling a prophecy that states he will kill the Slayer and initiate the extermination of all humanity. Creation and casting Buffy the Vampire Slayer was originally conceived for a 1992 feature film that pitched Buffy against a similar villain controlling vampires below Los Angeles. Disappointed by the final film, screenwriter and series creator Joss Whedon reworked his script into a television series more in line with his original vision. He and the staff writers employ horror elements in the series to represent real-life conflicts for the adolescent characters, while frequently undercutting the horror aspect of the show with comedy. Sunnydale High School is situated atop a portal to hell called a Hellmouth, which Whedon uses to symbolize the high-school-as-hell experience.Tracy, pp. 6–37. Pragmatically, Whedon admitted that placing the high school on a Hellmouth allows the writers to confront the main characters with an endless array of evil creatures.Whedon, Joss (2008). Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete First Season; "Interview with Joss Whedon: Welcome to the Hellmouth" Featurette. DVD. 20th Century Fox. Veteran character actor Mark Metcalf appeared in heavy prosthetic make-up for the role of the Master, belying his iconic performance in the film National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) as Douglas C. Neidermeyer, a strident rule-following ROTC officer (and the associated role in Twisted Sister's "We're Not Going to Take It" music video). In 2011, Metcalf acknowledged that his Animal House role would probably live much longer than he, but also recognized his roles on Seinfeld—where he plays a similarly named character called "Maestro"—and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as his favorites.Andrews, Tom (October 28, 2011). 'Animal House' Fan Favorite Metcalf Still Crafting Film and Stage Memories, FoxPoint-Bayside Patch. Retrieved on November 20, 2011. Many actors auditioned for the part, but Metcalf, according to Whedon, played it with more complexity, bringing a "sly and kind of urbane" sensitivity and a charm to the villainy of the character.Whedon, Joss (2008). Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete First Season; "DVD Commentary for "Welcome to the Hellmouth" DVD. 20th Century Fox. Biography Siring At some point, the Master was turned by the Demon Lord Archaeus, giving him a direct link to the power of this ancient demon that he passed on to other vampires in his bloodline. The Old World In the 12th Century, the Master had become very powerful. At some point he was enslaved by the Seed of Wonder. By 1609, he had already lived past the 'curse' of human features, becoming much more demonic in appearance than other vampires, to the point where he resembled the much older and more powerful Turok-Han vampires. At this time, the Master (posing as a priest) came to the Virginia Colony where he visited the deathbed of a prostitute suffering from syphilis, while posing as a priest. He tested her faith and discovered that she had lost all hope in having her soul saved. Alone with her, the Master revealed himself and that he had been the one that 'sang' to her from her window the previous night. She first believed he was Death, but the Master claimed he was actually her savior. Assuring her that while God had never done anything for her, but he would, he sunk his fangs into her neck and made her into a vampire. Over a hundred years after she was born, the Master would give her the name "Darla", the Anglo-Saxon derivation of "Dear One/Loved One"."Darla (episode) Darla become one of the Master's disciples, and grew into one of his favourites. In a sewer in London, England in 1760, the Master was introduced to Angelus, Darla's progeny after they had returned from Yorkshire, England. Angelus, mocking the Master's appearance and the Order's harsh dogmas , including enforced underground dwelling, was pummeled into the ground after the Master lost his temper during their confrontation. Darla, despite the Master having made her the person who she was, preferred Angelus' offer of pleasure and adventure to remaining with the Master, leaving to Naples with the "stallion" after the offended Master beat him to a bloody pulp. Despite Darla choosing to abandon the Master and the Order to pursue her love affair with Angelus, the Master allowed the two to leave and ordered his henchmen to let them pass, but estimated that the couple would last no more than a century before breaking up. ]] Around 1801, the Master fought a Japanese Slayer by the name of Yuki Makimura and sired her, making her one of his own devoted followers. The creation of a Slayer-vampire hybrid disgraced the Watcher's Council so much they erased all records of Yuki from the Slayer timeline. Around 1880, the Master welcomed Darla back to the Order after she and Angelus had a fight. However, she soon returned to the arms of her lover. After 1900, Darla returned to the Master for good after Angelus' soul was restored by a gypsy curse. Imprisonment By 1937, the Master had moved to the New World with the hopes of opening the Hellmouth located in Sunnydale and bringing about the end of the world by releasing the Old Ones. While in Sunnydale, he caused a notable ruckus by murdering a large number of people. However, months later an earthquake hit town in the middle of the ritual to open the Hellmouth, swallowing half the town, including the church in which the Master was performing the ritual. As the ritual had already commenced, the Master was imprisoned within a mystical barrier, like a cork in a bottle. Now all he had to do to open the Hellmouth was to break through the barrier, but he didn't have the power to do so."The Harvest" Some time around that event, the Master came into contact with the Slayer, India Cohen."Nightmares In 1997, after spending 60 years sleeping in a pool of blood, the Master arose again and used the acolytes of his Order of Aurelius to help him escape his prison within the Hellmouth."Welcome to the Hellmouth" This involved a ritual called the Harvest. The Harvest occurred on a single night occurring each century where the Master could draw power from one of his minions (named "the Vessel"). Each time the Vessel fed the power was transferred back to the Master. Hoping to gather enough power for him to escape. the Master selected an acolyte named Luke as his Vessel and sent him to out to find blood. Luke and many of the Master's other followers attacked the patrons of the Bronze nightclub, draining and killing a few of them until the current Slayer, Buffy Summers, who had just moved to Sunnydale from Los Angeles, intervened. Buffy disrupted the ritual by killing the Vessel (and many other Aurielius vampires), thus foiling the Master's plan. Buffy further upset the Master by killing more of his most cherished minions, such as Zachary. Angered by her meddling, the Master sent the Three to assassinate her but when Buffy and her friends defeated them, he had them killed as penance. The destruction of the Three proved to bring little solace or satisfaction. Darla offered to kill the Slayer her own way and the depressed Master agreed. Jealous of Buffy, Darla's scheme involved making it appear that Angelus, now an ally of the Slayer and going by the name "Angel", had turned evil, making Buffy duty-bound to kill him; and in turn force Angel to defend himself and kill her. This plan backfired when Angel unhesitatingly killed Darla in order to save Buffy, thereby deepening Master's depression. Visibly distraught and sincerely grieving the Master nearly lost the will to carry out his plans. Only words of encouragement from his right-hand vampire child, the Anointed One, brought comfort, strengthening his resolve to continue making preparations for his release."Angel (episode)" Billy Palmer, a human boy who had been beaten into a coma by an unknown assailant, astral projected from his hospital bed triggering a response from the Hellmouth which caused the nightmares of Sunnydale citizens' to manifest into a false reality. In a manifestation of Buffy's deepest fears, the Master was briefly released from his prison and set upon the surface. He confronted Buffy at a mystically conjured cemetery before pushing her into an empty coffin and burying her alive (an interesting foreshadowing of events that would not occur for another five years). Buffy freed herself, rising as a vampire temporarily. Awakening Billy from his coma ended the realization of nightmares coming true. If in fact the Master had been truly freed and was not just a manifestation of Buffy's own inner terrors, he was returned to his mystical prison and appeared to have no memory of his brief sojourn on the surface. Escape Even though the Pergamum Codex prophesied that the Master would inevitably rise from his prison and kill the Slayer, Buffy resolved to deal with him after signs of the upcoming apocalypse encouraged the Master's minions to start taking people's lives on school grounds. The first sign that the Pergamum Codex prophesy would not work out as expected happened when the Master sent the Anointed One to bait the Slayer into entering his lair. Contrary to the codex, Buffy recognized the Anointed One instantly and asked him to fulfill his task as guide. The Master welcomed the Slayer but avoided confronting her directly. Instead, he taunted her from the shadows in order to prolong the moment. Disgusted with his theatrics and eager to get the confrontation over and done with, Buffy told the Master to reveal himself. Appearing behind her, the Master easily disarmed and rendered her helpless through hypnosis. Holding an incapacitated Buffy and just prior to killing her, the Master happily informed her that if it weren't for her attempt to kill him then he wouldn't have been able to leave. The Master bit her, but drank only a small amount of blood, before dropping her and leaving her to drown in a shallow pool, with a sarcastic compliment about her pretty gown. Despite only drinking a small amount, the Slayer's blood imbued the Master with so much power he broke through the mystical barrier that kept him prisoner for so long. Death Fortunately for Buffy, Angel and Xander Harris arrived in time to revive her, and Buffy confronted the Master just as he ascended to the roof of Sunnydale High School, above the library where the Hellmouth was located directly below. Though shocked at seeing her alive, the Master made another attempt at her with his hypnosis but she somehow resisted and the two began fighting, hand-to-hand. As a creature from the Hellmouth rose and attacked Buffy's friends, the Master remarked on if Buffy would still be making jibes while his hell was raining on earth. Buffy grabbed the Master by the neck and said if he was so excited about hell, he should go there. She then ultimately defeated him by throwing him through the skylight and impaling him on a large piece of wood that had formed from a broken table. Unlike most vampires, who turned completely to dust upon their death, the Master left behind a skeleton. His remains were then buried in the Sunnydale Cemetery and consecrated with holy water in a special ritual to prevent any vampires from retrieving him. Legacy Following the Master's death, the Anointed One assumed leadership of the Order. Working with Absalom, the Anointed One concocted a plan to resurrect the Master via a revivification ritual. He forced his minions to dig up the Master's bones (despite the holy water burning their hands) and kidnapped Rupert Giles, Jenny Calendar, Willow Rosenberg and Cordelia Chase, all of whom where in the vicinity of the Master when he died as the ritual required. Buffy returned to Sunnydale from Los Angeles around the same time as the Anointed One initiated his scheme and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as result of her death at the Master's hands. Buffy as a result became mean and malicious to others and it was only when she discovered that her friends had been kidnapped — due to her falling into a trap because of her impulsivity — that she began to think straight again. Buffy, along with Angel and Xander, intervened and killed all of the remaining minions present before crushing the Master's bones to dust with a sledgehammer, ending his threat permanently and allowing herself to move on with her life. Weeks after the event, the Order decided that whoever would be successful in killing the Slayer would take the Master's place as leader of the Order. Spike, a member of the Master's bloodline, elected to prove himself by killing the Slayer his way on the Night of Saint Vigeous. His plan wasn't successful, however. Spike launched his attack at Sunnydale High during parent-teacher night which Buffy organized, several nights before the Night of Saint of Vigeous out of impatience, but failed due to the Slayer's efforts. The Anointed One demanded that Spike give penance for ruining the Night of Saint Vigeous and costing the Order several minions from the attack, but Spike instead killed the Anointed One and took over the factory the Order inhabited following the Master's death. It was then that Spike announced that there would be a little less ritual, and little more fun in Sunnydale, contrasting to the Master's near unshakable traditionalist world view."School Hard Six years later, the First Evil taunted a now-ensouled Spike by taking the shape of the major enemies faced by the Scooby Gang including the Master (despite the Master and Spike never actually meeting before) along with Drusilla, Mayor Richard Wilkins III, Adam, Glorificus and Warren Mears in that order reversed."Lessons" Reappearance Following Buffy and Angel's rejection of their roles as the creators of a new universe and their releasing of thousands of new demons, Spike revealed that the Seed of Wonder, which was the thing from which everything came, was what they needed to end this. Based on information Spike acquired from the Las Vegas branch of Wolfram & Hart, he explained that the Seed had been there all along. The seed was not made by Angel and Buffy, but rather its existence even preceded The First and it was considered the beginning of everything. It had been specifically kept in Sunnydale in the church where the Master was trapped after his original attempt to open the Hellmouth, and that the Slayer Organization needed to collect it in order to avert a demonic invasion. However, the seed was guarded by a protector in the form of the Master, returned to life via the intervention of the Seed who chose him as the Seed's protector and restored him to "life." As a result of the battle, Willow overtook the power of the Seed, abandoning the Master in the church. When Buffy and a Twilight-possessed Angel arrived, Angel shattered the Master's head with a single punch, dusting him once again."Last Gleaming Appearance Physical appearance The Master possessed a more ghoulish appearance than regular vampires which was apparently permanent, preventing him from assuming a human visage (a likely effect of his old age). His features somewhat resembled that of a Turok-Han vampire. He had white pale skin, a bald head with pointed ears and yellowish, talon-like nails. His face had the basic vampire brow ridge, wrinkles and fangs, except with blood red eyes instead of yellow ones; and a snub, bat-like nose. The Master also had a distinctive bloody red stain on his nose down to his mouth, something Buffy referred to as "fruit punch mouth." Clothing At least since the late 20th century, the Master was always seen wearing a black leather Nehru jacket with a belt and matching pants and boots. In the 17th century when he sired Darla, the Master disguised himself as priest, using a dark robe with its hood covering his face. Later in the 18th century while meeting Angelus, the Master wore a black leathery vest with long, quilted sleeves. Personality The Master was a ruthless overlord who expected total devotion from his followers and expected them to risk their very own lives for his cause. Minions who failed to carry out their objectives were brutalized by the Master himself or called upon to mutilate themselves in an act of penance. An example of this was Claw, who cut off his own arm after displeasing the Master, but still had to depart from the Order."Teacher's Pet" The Master was also personally offended when Darla offered him Jesse McNally as food, a human she feed off beforehand which the Master considered to be scraps. However, the Master did consider the taking of a life (obviously not a human one) to be a serious matter and not to be taken for personal joy. He also believed the Order of Aurelius was more a family than a religious order, viewing his minions as his own children and that providing them with the responsibility to perform executions was for their own learning, even initially denying Darla the chance to kill Buffy because her desire to do so was based mainly for her own self-interest rather than for the good of the Order. Despite this family-orientated attitude, the Master was prone to favoritism. His most treasured disciple was Darla, whom he viewed as a daughter, and nearly lost the will to continue his plans when she was staked by Angel. The Master was a strong traditionalist who viewed human culture and life above ground as "pestilence", forbidding his minions from living on the surface, only allowing them to leave when hunting, however, he seemed to change this view when rising from the church after being freed, admiring the surface after decades of isolation where it he forgot what it was like. His Wishverse counterpart furthered this; after having spent so long trapped underground, he openly defied the Order's old-established views and conquered Sunnydale. The Master was deeply religious, believing unquestioningly in the prophecies of his old mentor, Aurelius, to the point that it became a flaw. When Buffy is resuscitated after her initial fight with him, The Master's disbelief at her survival in spite of what the prophecy stated leaves him so shaken that some of his powers fail him, causing Buffy to finally defeat him. The Master also held a belief in demonic superiority, living in tribute to the Old Ones and claiming that vampires were undeniably the superior race in the Wishverse (which would be consistent in the original timeline considering the Wishverse Master's more laid-back demeanor)."The Wish Interestingly, the Master himself claimed that his objectives were for the "common good". Despite his cold-hearted nature, the Master was fairly charismatic and had a sardonic sense of humor, asking the Anointed One if the earthquake that preceded the oncoming apocalypse was "5.1" on the Richter scale after making an overzealous performance to accompany it, blatantly remarking that Buffy's sarcastic comment about his lair's water leakage as "the feeble banter portion of the fight" (which seemed to be an on-going feature in her slaying) and even taking the time to compliment Buffy's dress as he finally escaped his lair, pitifully remarking "And by the way. I like your dress". Powers and Abilities Enhanced Vampire abilities — Because of his extremely advanced age as the oldest vampire ever recorded, the Master possessed superhuman strength, speed, reflexes and endurance far beyond those of any other vampires (though lesser than that of Maloker). He clearly demonstrated this by defeating many Slayers throughout history, including Yuki Makimura and Buffy Summers. Additionally, the Master was seen surviving a powerful punch from Buffy and knocking her down when her powers where massively amplified by Twilight and practically invulnerable (to the point that Faith, a Slayer, couldn't harm Angel by kicking him in the groin who had about the same strength as Buffy during this period). Unlike most vampires, the Master made use of his fingernails in combat were capable of slicing flesh and cloth with ease. The Master also demonstrated a higher resistance to Crosses, when he was able to look at a large cross (though with disgust and anguish) and touch it, the cross emitting visible smoke as it burned his hand but not harming him. The Master explained that this was because fear, like pain, was in the mind, which could be controlled. Because he conquered his fear he could not feel any pain. Additionally, the Master also dreaded the very church he was imprisoned in, though could live in it for over 60 years. Hypnosis — The Master had adept hypnotic abilities which allowed him to control people's motor functions with the wave of his hand (not even requiring their gaze), and thus taking control of their bodies and rendering them unable to move, but still conscious of what was being done to them. Not even the Slayer was capable of resisting it. He used this on Buffy and the hypnosis was powerful enough that she remained immoble even when he threw her into a pool after biting her, leaving her to drown. The Master later tried to hypnotize her a second time where he managed to draw her towards him only to find out she was now immune to his hypnotic power. Why this is was never explained. Skeletal Preservation — The Master had the distinction of being the only known vampire in existence powerful enough to leave his skeleton intact while his flesh and clothing disintegrated into dust upon death. This gave way for him to resurrected by a certain magic ritual until his bones were destroyed, preventing the ritual from being conducted. However, despite the Master leaving skeletal remains during his death in 1997 at the hands of Buffy, this apparently wasn't so after his second death by a possessed Angel."Last Gleaming, Part Four Sorcery and Occult Aptitude — Numerous times, the Master has demonstrated intimate knowledge of dark rituals and prophesies — such as The Harvest, the rise of The Anointed"Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" and The Pergamum Codex's prediction of Buffy's death and his rise despite the text being lost for over five hundred years (though the Master could of easily read the prophecies before it was lost). It's also likely the Master would've had at least some knowledge of sorcery and magic since he tried to open the Hellmouth. Power Detection — The Master appeared to at least possess some psychic ability when he could sense a powerful psychic force caused by the astral projection of Billy Palmer (though it's possible he was sensing the hellmouth having resided so close to it underground, it being the cause of the problem). Relationships * Darla — Darla was the Master's most cherished minion out of the whole Order. The Master himself referred to her as his favorite. It was apparent that he didn't just sire her randomly, having allegedly 'sang' to her the night before. As Darla laid hopeless, the Master seemed to see some potential in her and the two cultivated a close bond during the next two centuries. The Master was shocked that Darla abandoned her own sire for a younger vampire, but respected her decision, knowing that their relationship wouldn't last. The Master was once, though, harsh to Darla when she gave him an unacceptable offering before the Harvest, openly threatening her. Though this only seemed to fit his role as 'father' of the Order and wouldn't allow her too much liberties, shown when he allowed her to execute the Three, knowing she would take much joy in the act while believing little was enough. When Darla died, the Master became openly aggressive, smashing one of his candleholders in anger until the Anointed comforted him. * Angel — The Master was shown to have mixed feelings regarding Angel and his soulless counterpart. He was impressed at Darla for bringing Angelus to him, even admiring the name she chose for him, thinking it was marvelous. His good mood then changed when Angelus mocked his appearance and the Order's views, beating him for not showing the 'proper respect'. However, by 1997, the Master's opinion of Angel seemed to have changed, though apparently aware of his ensoulment and name change, the Master claimed Angel was "the most vicious creature" he ever met and even admitted to missing him, possibly suggesting that the two met again after their initial meeting. The Master was even shocked that it was Angel that killed Darla, wanting Angel to be at his right hand come his ascension. *'Zachary' — Like Darla, the Master seemed to value his minion Zachary and was upset when hearing that he didn't come back from his hunt the previous night because of the Slayer, considering Zachary to be one of his children. The extent of their relationship was never shown. * The Anointed One — The Master quickly developed a close bond with the young vampire, acting as the Anointed's mentor, teaching him how to successfully run the Order in terms of punishing failure and also the power fear has and how a vampire could conquer anything if they conquered their fear. The Master even held stones in his hand that the Anointed would use to throw onto the pools of water in the church and derived solace from the young vampire's hopeful words after Darla's death. The Anointed also seemed to appreciate the Master and his rulings, working to resurrect him despite having inherited the Master's rule and maintaining the Order's traditions until he was usurped by the rebel Spike. See also * Order of Aurelius * The Master's bloodline * Darla * Angel * Wishverse Master * The Master (clone) Gallery Behind the Scenes *He was portrayed by Mark Metcalf. He was also played by David Boreanaz in a flashback sequence in "When She Was Bad" and voiced by D.C Douglas in 2003 Xbox video game Buffy the Vampire Slayer. *Joss Whedon's notes for "Welcome to the Hellmouth" indicated that The Master's real name was Heinrich Joseph Nest and his age was 600 years. However, the flashback to 1609 in "Darla" shows The Master already with his bat-like demonic visage, meaning he was far older than just 600 years by 1997, as this would have made The Master over 300 by 1609, and he wouldn't look like that, as shown with Darla who is over 400 years old. On the other hand, the Master could have preferred wearing his "game face" (as Xander would've called it) full time, after ostensibly being sired in 1397. Perhaps because, as a mortal, his predilections were even more monstrous than those Angel had demonstrated as Liam of 18th century Galway! *If the Master's real name truely is "Heinrich", its possible he might be of Germanic origin. *Despite his old world origins, the Master spoke with a modern American accent, even before he came to Sunnydale. In the 2003 video game, however, the Master had an English accent. *The Master was originally supposed to have a beard and long hair. Mark Metcalf came up with the bald, more demonic look as an homage to Nosferatu. *According to Metcalf, the Master's makeup took 5 hours to put on.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQAUtMpd9zA *The Master's appearance and the events of "Prophecy Girl" parallel some of themes in the 1922 German horror classic Nosferatu. The fact that it was prophesied that Buffy would have to die fighting the Master is similar to how Ellen Hutter had to let Count Orlock feed off her in order for him to be distracted until the sun came up. The victimization of the young woman to the monstrous male figure symbolizes male dominance and the drinking of blood carries themes of rape (shown by the Master's powerful reaction after biting Buffy). Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''in turn offers a feminist subversion where Buffy, the female victim, defeats her male aggressor. The Master in general is representitive of traditional monsters of the horror genre with Buffy playing as a subversion of the typical, helpless female victim common among horror films, the Master's traditionalist, patriarchal disposition going in contrast with Buffy's modern and witty character. *The Master was indirectly responsible for The Whirlwind: The Master sired Darla, who sired Angelus, who sired Drusilla, who sired Spike. On an interesting note, that indirect action brought forth two of the most infamous vampires in history (Angelus and Spike), who had an even darker reputation than The Master. It also left the Master responsible for his own demise and the end of the Order of Aurelius, due to Angel's pivotal role in his death, and Spike's murder of the Anointed One. *The Master is, and remains, the only Big Bad or enemy in general that killed Buffy through his own devices. *The Master is also responsible for the activation of Kendra Young after Buffy's temporary death, causing two Slayers to exist simultaneously for the first time ever. *The Master is one of the only two Big Bads in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer (though there are others in Angel) to appear in the first episode of his respective season, the other being final antagonist The First. *Russell Edgington in "True Blood" is very similar. Like the Master, he was considered to be the oldest and most powerful vampire in existence into his own universe. He had also racial hatred fiercely extremist against humanity and believe that only the supernatural beings hold the law on the world similar to the allegeance of the Master for the Old Ones. Similar to the Master, he wants also to drink the blood of the main female character Buffy/Sookie because of their mystical Slayer/Faerie property. *He is the only known vampire of the old breed with red eyes and not with yellow eyes. Actually only the New vampires have red eyes. Expanded Universe *In the [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xbox game)|first Buffy the Vampire Slayer video game]], The Master returns as a phantom and, with the help of a trio of demons known as the Dreamers, possesses Angel to regain a physical presence. Ultimately Willow Rosenberg banishes him from Angel, the Scoobies subsequently using a spell to make him temporarily corporeal once again. With Buffy now able to stake the Master once he regains a solid form, Giles states that Buffy's destruction of The Master's body in this manner also destroyed his spirit. In the game the Master also possesses other abilities such as teleportation, telekinesis and switching between corporeal and incorporeal form for a limited time. *In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Comics Issue #38 False Memories, we learn moments before his final death, the Master was able to move his essence to the astral plane, where he would remain until he could return into a new body. An attempt to bring him back to the land of the living by his congregation, the Eidu, was nearly successful. Using the Eidu Amulet, which is a bridge to the spirit world, the Eidu kidnapped Xander and planned to use his body as the vessel for the Master's astral essence to inhabit. Before the Master could enter the body, Willow and Tara cast a spell to temporarily keep the Master's spirit from possessing Xander. During the ritual, the Master's essence was destroyed after he was struck with a vapor blade by Buffy's sister, Dawn.Buffy the Vampire Slayer:Comic #38 False Memorieshttp://buffycomics.hellmouthcentral.com/monsters/html/master.html Appearances The Master was the primary villian in the first season of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He appeared in 10 episodes all together (6 living, 1 in a dream, 1 in the Wishverse, 1 in archive footage and 1 as a disguise of the First Evil). He also appeared in one episode in the second season of Angel ''in flashbacks. He appeared in 11 Buffyverse episodes altogether, 9 of which featured the acting talent of Mark Metcalf. The Master would later return in ''Buffy Season Eight ''in the first four issues of the final story arc Last Gleaming. He previously made cameo appearances during Buffy's astral dream in Part 3 of ''The Long Way Home ''and during one of her decoy's activivations in ''The Chain. He later appeared in the Angel '' comic ''Auld Lang Syne ''as a clone in the first and fourth parts. He appeared in 8 Buffyverse comic issues overall. ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Angel'' Spike *"Alone Together Now" (cameo) ''Buffy Season Eight'' *''The Long Way Home, Part Three'' (cameo) *''The Chain'' (cameo) *''Last Gleaming'' (Parts 1-4) ''Buffy Season Ten'' *''Day Off (or Harmony In My Head)'' (cameo) *''Relationship Status: Complicated'' (cameo) ''Angel & Faith Season Ten'' *''Those Who Can't Teach, Teach Gym, Part Two'' References }} Category:Angel (TV series) characters Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters Category:Buffyverse vampires Category:Television supervillains Category:Fictional centenarians Category:Fictional mass murderers Category:Fictional vampires Category:Fictional cult leaders Category:Fictional deceased Category:Fictional telepaths Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1997